Correction: Slack Disables Custom Invitation Feature From DM Service Over Harassment Concerns: Report

Slack Technologies Inc’s WORK had to roll back its new customized invitation message feature from the email replacement service called ‘Slack Connect,’ on criticism over the potential for abuse, Bloomberg reports.

• The new Slack Connect DM (direct messaging) feature enabled paid subscribers to invite any other Slack user to a private conversation with a customizable message. However, it was alleged that those messages could pose direct harassment at strangers online without an easy block option as the invites came from a generic Slack address. Slack Connect has been available since June of last year.
• “We are taking immediate steps to prevent this kind of abuse, beginning with the removal today of the ability to customize a message when a user invites someone to Slack Connect DMs,” said vice president of communications and policy at Slack, Jonathan Prince. The company has disabled the custom invite option and assured a solution.
• According to Twitter Inc TWTR employee Menotti Minutillo, the feature did not have robust opt-out protections for individual users and no respite from email invite spamming. All of which could lead to harassment by only sending an email.
• Slack Standard plan with Connect enabled costs $8 per month per user (or $6.67 per month per user when billed annually). As a result, people could become soft targets even in the absence of the invite message feature disabled by Slack.
• WORK’s stock has gained 56% in the last year.
• Price action: WORK shares closed lower by 1.27% at $40.45 on Wednesday.
• Note: The article has been updated to clarify that Slack has rolled back the customized invitation message aspect of Slack Connect DMs and not the entire feature.